Bruno Fernandes has been a particularly outspoken voice after Manchester United’s somewhat tricky start to the season and has now received criticism from Red Devils icon Rio Ferdinand
Video Loading
Video Unavailable
Erik ten Hag assesses defeat to Spurs
Rio Ferdinand has torn into Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes for his complaints to the referee after the weekend’s defeat to Tottenham.
The Portuguese playmaker was highly critical of referee Michael Oliver following the reverse in North London. Pape Matar Sarr and an own goal from Lisandro Martinez condemned the Red Devils to their first loss of the season.
It could have been a slightly different affair had United been awarded a penalty. Erik ten Hag’s men thought they were deserving of a spot-kick for a handball by Cristian Romero - only to be left frustrated by both the officials and VAR.
Speaking after the game, Fernandes said: “They [referees] have to start giving interviews after the games so they can explain themselves. It is a clear penalty, no excuses for not seeing, no excuses for VAR not seeing that.
“Last week they made a big thing on United not having a penalty against, I want to see what is going to happen this week, if there is going to be the same show they did last week. I want to see if Jon Moss also comes to apologise to our dressing room like they said they did to the manager of Wolves. I hope he is here and he can come.”
However, United icon Ferdinand did not take particularly kindly to Fernandes’ complaints. He has instructed the new Red Devils’ captain to instead focus on the side’s performances instead of criticising the referee.
Bruno Fernandes was highly critical of Michael Oliver following the defeat to Spurs (
Image:
Getty Images)
**Do you agree with Rio Ferdinand’s comments?Share your thoughts in the comments below **
“I think at this point you’ve just got to be honest, man,” he said on Vibe with Five. “I understand why he’s upset, but he probably would have got more out of it by coming out there and going, ‘You know what, we’ve been s**t, we ain’t been up to the level we expect ourselves to be at and we need to get better, be better and do more’.
“I think that blame stuff, he could have gone down the corridor [to the referee], but that’s hindsight. Go down the corridor, speak to the referee, whatever. But it’s owning that.
“The performances haven’t been great. It’s easy to say he should have done this or that, when you’re in the moment and you’re hot it’s different.”
Get the United home shirt for 23/34
United’s Adidas home shirt is made up of the same colour of the city’s iconic red rose and features a black collar. The collar also features a dash of both red and white, giving it a slick and modernised look.
Prices start from £55
Kitbag
Ten Hag’s side are next back in action at Old Trafford this weekend as they take on Nottingham Forest. They then face Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium ahead of the first international break of the season.
Fernandes, 28, will be aiming to play a role in the Red Devils adding to their slender opening day victory against Wolves. The former Sporting Lisbon star has yet to contribute to a goal this season. He scored 14 goals and notched 15 assists in all competitions last term in Ten Hag’s first season at the helm.
_Join our new WhatsApp community! Clickthis link to receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. _
